This invention is directed to the field of pet burial assemblies, more particularly to a kit of components to allow pet owners to provide a suitable resting place for a favored pet, such as a cat or dog.
The present invention relates to a kit of components to form a peaceful resting place and atmosphere for a deceased pet, whether deceased through natural causes or through an act of euthanasia. Further, the assembled components are made of biodegradable and flammable materials should the pet owner desire to either bury or cremate the pet.
It is difficult to imagine anyone in America""s society that has not experienced growing up, or in later life, the joy of having a household pet, such as a dog or cat. In fact, multiple pet families are quite common. Senior citizens, in particular, have turned to pet ownership as a means to ensure continued companionship by a living creature that requires little material means but offers unlimited love and devotion to its owner. As a consequence, pet owners become emotionally attached to their pets. It is also well known that the loss of a pet can be a traumatic experience for its owners. At least one factor adding to the traumatization of the pet owner is the handling of the animal after it has been euthanized or has otherwise deceased. Many pet owners often desire to take their deceased animal to a pet cemetery for burial or crematorium for cremation. If a pet deceases at home, a pet owner may desire to transport the animal to a veterinarian. In either case, it is often necessary to transport the animal after it has died.
It is well known that, after an animal has died, the body fluids begin leaking from the animal. Therefore, in order to transport a dead animal, the animal must first be placed into a receptacle to contain the fluids. Prior to the present invention, deceased animals have been placed in boxes, garbage bags, or the like for transporting and disposing the animals. However, it is not desirable for some to place their animal in such a receptacle because it is not aesthetically pleasing.
The prior art disclose various types of pet receptacles for receiving the deceased pet for burial or creamation. Such prior art is reflected in the following U.S. patents:
a.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,877, to Richard, discloses a container for burial of a deceased pet. The pet burial container comprises a fabric bag and a flat sheet. The fabric bag comprises a base arranged to accept the flat sheet therein and a flaccid top portion opposite the base. The deceased pet is placed into the fabric bag such that the deceased pet rests on the flat sheet while the flaccid top portion drapes over the deceased pet, thereby enclosing the deceased pet in the fabric material.
b.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,548, to Zerick, teaches a burial/cremation case for animals for receiving a deceased animal for transporting and burying or cremating the same. The burial/cremation case includes a shell member constructed from a liquid-permeable inner layer, an absorbent intermediate layer and an outer layer. The intermediate layer is selectively secured to the outer layer. The outer layer and inner layer are selectively secured one to the other about their perimeters. The inner layer and outer layer may be folded over and secured to define a volume within which the deceased animal may be received. The intermediate layer includes a fluid impervious barrier to prevent fluids from seeping through the outer layer to the outside of the burial/cremation case.
c.) U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,948, to Hicks et al., relates to a modular pet casket comprising one or more modular units which can be locked into position to provide a predetermined longitudinally extended casket for enclosing small, medium or large deceased pets.
The above prior art offers a number of solutions to providing a comfortable final resting place for a deceased family pet, but such solutions are more costly and complex than will be found in the pet burial components of the present invention. The manner by which the present invention meets the challenges of a less costly and complex pet burial system will become clearer in the description which follows.
This invention is directed to a kit of components for providing an aesthetically pleasing final resting place for a deceased pet. The components are fabricated of biodegradable and flammable materials to give the pet owner the option of a traditional burial or creamation. The kit comprises the following:
a.) a moisture sealed burial receptacle, preferably rectangular in configuration, having a cavity and a hinged cover member,
b.) a burial basket of a size to seat within said cavity,
c.) a blanket for attaching to said burial basket, and
d.) a clear plastic bag including closure means, where the plastic bag is sized to receive the burial basket, blanket and deceased pet for placement in said burial receptacle.
The burial receptacle and burial basket may be provided with hand gripping openings to facilitate carrying of the deceased pet to its final resting location.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an aesthetically pleasing resting place for a deceased pet.
Another object hereof is a light weight kit of components to allow an owner of a deceased pet to give the pet a well deserved final resting place.
A further object of the invention is the provision of a kit of components to form a suitable burial place for a deceased pet, where the components thereof are formed of biodegradable and flammable materials to allow the pet owner to choose conventional burial or creamation.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent in the specification which follows, especially when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.